Nigeria has no nominees across the seven men’s categories at the 2026 CAF Awards, with Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Eric Chelle missing out.

Nigeria will have no representation across the seven men’s categories of the 2026 Confederation of African Football (CAF) Awards after the governing body released its nomination lists on Wednesday.

The omission means no Nigerian player, coach, club or national team has been shortlisted for the men’s honours, despite the Super Eagles finishing third at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco.

Super Eagles stars Victor Osimhen, Ademola Lookman and Calvin Bassey, who were all named in CAF’s Team of the Tournament at the competition, missed out on the Men’s Player of the Year shortlist.

The three Nigerians were among the standout performers as the country secured the bronze medal at the tournament, which ended in January 2026.

Hakimi, Mané lead 10-man Player of the Year shortlist

Morocco and Senegal dominate the 10-man shortlist for the Men’s Player of the Year award, with three nominees each.

Morocco’s representatives are reigning winner Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and Ismael Saibari, while Senegal’s nominees are former winner Sadio Mané, Ismaila Sarr and Pape Gueye.

The remaining nominees are Amad Diallo of Côte d’Ivoire, Yoane Wissa of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana’s Antoine Semenyo and South Africa’s Teboho Mokoena.

Hakimi is seeking to retain the award he won in 2025 following another successful year with Paris Saint-Germain and the Moroccan national team.

No Nigerian nominees across seven men’s categories

Nigeria’s absence extends beyond the top individual award.

CAF released nominees across seven men’s categories: Player of the Year, Goalkeeper of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Young Player of the Year, National Team of the Year and Club of the Year.

Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali was not included in the Goalkeeper of the Year shortlist, which features Morocco’s Yassine Bounou, Senegal’s Edouard Mendy and South Africa’s Ronwen Williams, among others.

Super Eagles head coach Eric Chelle also missed out on the Coach of the Year nomination. The 10-man list includes Senegal’s Lamine N’Diaye and Pape Thiaw, Cape Verde’s Pedro Leitão Brito, popularly known as Bubista, and DR Congo’s Sébastien Desabre.

Egypt’s Hossam Hassan and Moatamed Gamal, Morocco’s Mohamed Ouahbi and Walid Regragui, Alexandre Santos of AS FAR and Mamelodi Sundowns coach Miguel Cardoso complete the shortlist.

There is also no Nigerian representation in the Men’s Young Player of the Year, Interclub Player of the Year, National Team of the Year or Club of the Year categories.

The shortlisted clubs include South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns, Egypt’s Zamalek, Algeria’s USM Alger and Morocco’s AS FAR, while the national team nominees include Senegal, Morocco, Ghana, DR Congo and South Africa.

Nigeria also misses out on Women’s Player of the Year

The men’s nominations follow the announcement of the women’s categories on Tuesday, where Nigeria also had no representative in the Women’s Player of the Year shortlist.

It is the first time since the award was introduced in 2001 that a Nigerian has not featured among the nominees for the women’s individual prize, according to reports.

However, Nigeria still has representation in other women’s categories. Edo Queens goalkeeper Christiana Uzoma is nominated for Women’s Goalkeeper of the Year, while Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei and Oluwakemi Adegbuyi are shortlisted for Women’s Young Player of the Year.

The Super Falcons are also nominated for Women’s National Team of the Year.

The 2026 CAF Awards ceremony will take place on December 7 at the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts in Lagos, where winners across the categories will be announced.